Recursion: A Novel
Jun 2019 · Ballantine Books
4.7star
239 reviewsreport
eBook
336
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About this eBook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy comes a relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory—his most mind-boggling, irresistible work to date, and the inspiration for Shondaland’s upcoming Netflix film.
“Gloriously twisting . . . a heady campfire tale of a novel.”—The New York Times Book Review
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • BookRiot
Reality is broken.
At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.
In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . . and the tools for fighting back.
Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.
Praise for Recursion
“An action-packed, brilliantly unique ride that had me up late and shirking responsibilities until I had devoured the last page . . . a fantastic read.”—Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian
“Another profound science-fiction thriller. Crouch masterfully blends science and intrigue into the experience of what it means to be deeply human.”—Newsweek
“Definitely not one to forget when you’re packing for vacation . . . [Crouch] breathes fresh life into matters with a mix of heart, intelligence, and philosophical musings.”—Entertainment Weekly
“A trippy journey down memory lane . . . [Crouch’s] intelligence is an able match for the challenge he’s set of overcoming the structure of time itself.”—Time
“Wildly entertaining . . . another winning novel from an author at the top of his game.”—AV Club
“Gloriously twisting . . . a heady campfire tale of a novel.”—The New York Times Book Review
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • BookRiot
Reality is broken.
At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.
In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . . and the tools for fighting back.
Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.
Praise for Recursion
“An action-packed, brilliantly unique ride that had me up late and shirking responsibilities until I had devoured the last page . . . a fantastic read.”—Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian
“Another profound science-fiction thriller. Crouch masterfully blends science and intrigue into the experience of what it means to be deeply human.”—Newsweek
“Definitely not one to forget when you’re packing for vacation . . . [Crouch] breathes fresh life into matters with a mix of heart, intelligence, and philosophical musings.”—Entertainment Weekly
“A trippy journey down memory lane . . . [Crouch’s] intelligence is an able match for the challenge he’s set of overcoming the structure of time itself.”—Time
“Wildly entertaining . . . another winning novel from an author at the top of his game.”—AV Club
Ratings and reviews
4.7
239 reviews
Carlos Garcia
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3 July 2025
Boy, what can I say about this book. It tries hard for sci-fi, but I was left feeling empty. The book is all over the place and I just could never get into the rhythm of it. The characters are just blah. They didn't pull me in and I didn't care what happened to them. It's weird, I felt (in the first 25 pages) that this book was going to be a miss. It sometimes happens, you finish a book because you hate to DNF. Not that this was a terrible book, absolutely not... it just didn't move me, grab me, motivate me, or twist a tear out of my eye. There seems to be two stories in this book, 20% of one story & 80% of another. Very odd. It was very middle of the road. It is highly repetitive, very slow at times, added unnecessary characters, and not a BOOM of an ending... as I was expecting. I won't be basing my book selections so highly on YouTube content creators' reviews for a while. This is a blah book at 2.5/5
Carvanz
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20 June 2019
What an absolute mind binder! This book took me on a journey from point A to point B in a way I never saw coming. I have never been so invested in a story before. Filled with characters that absolutely jumped from the pages as their dreams, desires, fears and failures consumed me. ”Life is nothing how he expected it would be when he was young and living under the delusion that things could be controlled. Nothing ca be controlled. Only endured.” I thought I knew what I was getting into when I began this book. Now that I’ve finished it, I wonder how the heck this author did this to me. I definitely feel as if I’ve been tossed out into the universe, reeled back in, only to be tossed out again, repeatedly. While my brain feels like mush and I’m sure I’ll have a book hangover, I already want to jump into this world again and again. This is a story that will captivate you from the first page to the last. I do not consider this a romance, although there is a wonderful romance that runs through a portion of this story, one that actually made my heart beat faster because of what these characters had to endure. It’s actually one of the most beautiful tales of love I’ve ever read when you break the story down. I urge you to go in blind with nothing but the blurb to guide you. If sci-fi, super science stories are your thing, you definitely need to look into this one. If sci-fi, super science, and a love that lasts through the ages is your thing, you need to one click immediately. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Crown Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
14 people found this review helpful
Justin Wilkes
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25 March 2022
Time travel stories are kind of a dime a dozen. This one had a very interesting and unique approach to the genre. At times, you will get confused by what is happening as time travel stories can, I feel the author does a great job of weaving the story through multiple time travel events that you naturally get a grasp for the plot and don’t feel confused by what is happening. Amazing book
About the author
Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. His novels include Upgrade, Recursion, Dark Matter, and the Wayward Pines trilogy, which was adapted into a television series for FOX. Crouch also co-created the TNT show Good Behavior, based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He lives in Colorado.
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